SEATTLE,
WASHINGTON & LONDON, ENGLAND--Disability rights groups in both the United
States and the United Kingdom have launched separate campaigns to prevent the
use of medical procedures designed to keep people with disabilities physically
small.

The efforts came in response to news that a couple convinced doctors at
Seattle Children's Hospital to take their daughter, known publicly as "Ashley
X", through hormone treatments and surgery to keep her from starting puberty
and to keep her 'child size'. The parents claim on their website that they
asked for the procedures two years ago to keep the then six-year-old girl from
experiencing the discomfort of menstruation, from becoming 'sexualized', and so
they could take care of her at home longer, among other things. The parents
said they launched the website, in part, to support other parents who might
want to have their "pillow angels" go through similar treatments.

This week, the Arc of the U.S. and United Cerebral Palsy released a
joint statement condemning what the parents called the "Ashley Treatment".

"We believe that loving parents who are caregivers are not granted
special dispensation to sanction irreparable and irreversible surgeries to
alter their son or daughters physical being primarily for their own
convenience or comfort," the statement explained.

"Too often, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are
treated as perpetual children."

They joined organizations such as ADAPT, Not Dead Yet, American
Association of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Disability Rights
Education and Defense Fund, and others in calling for putting a stop to similar
procedures for children with disabilities.

Michigan disability rights advocate Susan Fitzmaurice launched a website
allowing fellow advocates to sign on to a statement responding to what is being
called the "Ashley Treatment". As of this writing, about 300 individuals and
groups had signed on to the statement.

In the United Kingdom, the disability group Scope launched its own
campaign against the treatment, with an opportunity for advocates to weigh in.
As of this writing, more than 100 individuals and groups had signed on to
support that initiative.

"Society needs to change to fit disabled children in, disabled children
shouldn't have change to fit into society," a Scope spokesperson said.

Scope joins the UK disability groups RADAR, the National Autistic
Society and Disability Awareness in Action, which have already spoken out
against the Ashley Treatment.